The present invention relates to a mock circulation system, and in particular to a mock human circulation system for use in teaching and testing of circulation related medical devices.
Each year nearly 35,000 people in the United States die from irreparable heart failure, and there are less than 2,000 hearts which may be used for transplants. In order to save many of these people, scientists have developed artificial ventricles and ventricle assist devices. Before these devices can be used, tests must be performed to determine whether the devices will function as desired. Thus, each model must be tested, initially in a mock circulation system, and eventually in animals and finally people.
Presently there are numerous mock circulation systems on the market. Many of these systems are used to test prosthetic devices, such as artificial valves and hearts, and also to test the reliability of other medical equipment, such as transducers used to determine blood pressure at specific locations. Other mock circulation systems are designed primarily to serve as teaching aids, and serve little experimental purpose. Such systems are usually used to teach students at elementary, secondary, and college levels, the workings of the human circulatory system.
A major problem with the mock circulation systems presently on the market is that their use for both these purposes is rather limited. Most of the systems merely show a portion of the circulatory system, thereby depriving the observer of the ability to visualize the complete system at work. Logically, this also reduces the reliability of the system as the mock circulation system only factors in isolated influences within the circulatory system, rather than the dynamic effects which changes can have on the system as a whole.
Another problem with many of the mock circulation systems of the prior art is that they are expensive, bulky, and are not readily portable. These factors limit their use, both by salespersons of medical devices and by educational institutions. Because of these problems, there is a general lack of understanding about the workings of the human circulation system and the dynamic effects which a change in one portion of the circulatory system can cause in the remainder in the system. This lack of understanding is not limited to students, but rather extends even to heart surgeons who replace valves and even whole ventricles in their patients.
To overcome these and other problems of the prior art, there is a need for a portable and inexpensive mock circulation system which can be used to test and demonstrate medical devices, as well as to teach the workings of a complete circulation system. Such a system would enable researchers and students alike to see the dynamic effects of changes within the circulation system.